One name — LeyLey.
One voice rising from dust,
from a place they call a camp,
but I call a memory that refuses to sleep.
LeyLeyTHE POET
Words that refuse to stay silent
KAKUMA · SOUTH SUDAN · THE WORLD
LeyLey turns memory, hunger, identity and hope into poetry that travels far beyond the dust of Kakuma.
I am not a label.
I am a soul still breathing.
01 · THE LIVING ARCHIVE
Written from lived experience.
Spoken so nobody disappears into a statistic.
One name — LeyLey.
One voice rising from dust,
from a place they call a camp,
but I call a memory that refuses to sleep.
Not a number in a report.
Not a word printed on a card.
A soul still breathing —
a voice learning how far it can travel.
A reflection on the ache
of studying toward a future
that keeps moving — and the youth
who keep reaching anyway.
New writing, recordings and performances are added to this living archive. Explore the full archive →


02 · THE STORY BEHIND THE VOICE
LeyLey Pathjal is a South Sudanese spoken-word artist and storyteller whose work is shaped by life in Kakuma refugee camp.
His poems confront hunger, waiting, unemployment and the weight of being reduced to the word “refugee.” Yet his work does not stop at pain. It insists on dignity, possibility and the stubborn fact of hope.
“A place they call a camp, but I call a memory that refuses to sleep.”Follow the journey on Instagram ↗
I WRITE BECAUSE
03 · MOMENTS & MOVEMENT
Portraits, field notes and spoken-word moments
from LeyLey’s unfolding story.
04 · KEEP THE POETRY MOVING
No paywall. No fixed value on a poem. Give once or stand with LeyLey each month—every contribution creates time, tools and room for the work to travel.
05 · SAY HELLO
For performances, collaborations, press or a simple note of encouragement.
KEEP THE WORDS MOVING